Tishomingo County sets May 21 alcohol vote

IUKA – Tishomingo County supervisors on Monday set May 21 for a countywide alcohol election after accepting a valid petition with 2,648 names to bring the issue to a vote.
Proponent Charles “Tubby” Aldridge met with the board in its regular session to present the petition, with signatures that had been verified by Circuit Clerk Donna Dill.
With a date set, county attorney Phillip Whitehead is preparing the language for the ballot, Dill said, and ballots should be available for absentee votes to be cast by the end of next week.
Tishomingo County is dry for beer, wine and liquor, and the petition calls for an election for or against the county coming out from under the state dry laws to permit the sale of all three. State law required signatures of at least 20 percent of the county’s 12,960 eligible voters to force the election.
Aldridge launched his petition effort in August 2010, after New Albany voted to allow beer sales and Booneville also held a beer election. The election for beer sales in New Albany passed and the election in Booneville failed.
Aldridge said he wanted a countywide election for beer, wine and liquor, and vowed to continue his petition drive until he gathered enough signatures to force the election, whatever the outcome.
In a December election Corinth approved the sale of wine and liquor to join beer which was already legal. A recent ruling by the state Alcohol Beverage Control Board to allow on-site by-the-drink sales in restaurants on Sundays also makes beer sales on Sundays legal, where it had not been before.
Earlier this month the city of New Albany also held a liquor election in which voters approved legalizing wine and alcohol sales.
lena.mitchell@journalinc.com